sorry yet more?'s(now pics at bottom of page)

i have been searching forum for answers and get so many different ones.
ok i just got a mother earth news magazine and it says and i quote "if purchased feeds are the only option, (which it is),introduce natural feeds from day one: fresh grass clippings or lettuce from garden."

would they need grit, i hear they will eat it like candy, can they have to much grit?
or could i just dig up a clump of grass and dirt and not need grit?

i am also worried my feed my not last due to age, when i got it from feed lot the 50# bag was already open, how long i don't know. so i am worried about protein quality. at 1 week old can they get yogurt or boiled eggs, i am guessing they don't need grit for yogurt or eggs.

I would never buy an open bag of feed. I would try to find feed else where.
I did not feed my baby chics anything but growers for the first 3 weeks. Then I would put them out side for a couple hours a day with a small bowl of grit in a wire dog kennel and let them pick in the yard.

I agree with Katrinag, concerning the open bag of feed. That being said I start chicks out on "chick starter" and feed them the whold bag, then switch to layer feed. You can add things such as lettuce or anything out of the garden but it would be only as a supplement only.

A chicken's food goes, as is, into the crop, where it is slowly funneled into a very small " stomach" for some digestive additives--then to the Gizzard, where it is 'chewed', that is, ground into material that can be digested as it moves into the intestines and so on. The Gizzard is best able to break down whole grains and other chunky bits that they eat when full of grit. Longest lasting grit is Granite, that lasts well. All other rock and stone is so much softer, that it wears down fast and that is why granite grit is best choice, works really well for best utilization of feeds. My baby chicks are given free choice and they choose it with pleasure, baby grit is fine Granite, as soon as they are given anything besides Starter Crumbles. Their tiny gizzards are at optimum function at an early age. I feed my birds Starter/Grower feed until they start to lay then I switch over to layer feed. If I have any Starter/Grower feed left over I mix it in with the layer feed.

at my local feed store they only have 50lb bags of starter. they break them open to give smaller amounts. i only have 6 chicks so i got around 20lbs. i really didn't have much choice in the matter. i will try to find a better place. so they don't need grit to digest something soft like eggs or yogurt, to use as supplement. don't worry i will still give them their starter food. i am sure its not bad just not sure how fresh.
thanks for the insight

oooh oooh, one more, its still too cold to go outside and probably won't be for a while and i want to let them run around a confined corner of the basement so i can socialize with them. they will be a week old Wednesday. my basement is usually around 60 degrees. can they take that for a little while. i am sure i could put the heat lamp out with them. would they be too stressed at this age?

thanks snakeoil
right now they are in my dog crate (large) and on a shelf. the walls are lined to prevent cats from reaching in so they are hard to see and hard for them to see me. all they know now is that there is a large scary hand that grabs them to check their butts. i guess i can make an oversized brooder that lets me get closer to them. so i can actually catch them and pick em up and hopefully become better friends. my daughter is driving me nuts asking when she can hold them before they lose there fuzz but heck i'm still scared to hold them without the fear of hurting them. she noticed their wing feathers coming in fast.

You need to make some kind of brooder that will give them more room and allow you to socialize with them very soon !

Is the basement cat safe ?

If so.... set up a heat lamp/ or strong light bulb in a safe way and install it in the basement. Hang the light....get a thermometer from somewhere in the house and lay it on the floor under the light to test the temp... keep adjusting until you can get about 90 degrees under the light.... 2 lights would be better in case one goes out !!

The longer you wait.. the wilder your chicks will be and that is no fun.

My local feed store does the same thing and I've bought small quanities of feed for years with no bad results. I agree though that if I needed a whole bag I wouldnt buy an open one.

thanks for all the replies, i did make a larger brooder, it can connect to my old one for even more room . in the pic i have them connected but that was just the intro to their new home. right now its just the new one, i will add the other at 4-6 weeks. plus now i have a window to get up close.
my basement is not cat safe but can be for a while. this weekend i will try to set up a heated area to play. are wing and tail feathers normal at a week?